TV News: ‘American Horror Story’ Gets Companion Series, ‘Uncle Buck’ In The Works At ABC And More

TV News: ‘American Horror Story’ Gets Companion Series, ‘Uncle Buck' In The Works At ABC And More

Ever the provocateur, Ryan Murphy is capitalizing on the success of“American Horror Story” and the buzz surrounding its upcoming freak-show themed season by announcing a new companion series, “American Crime Story.” The show will also be a scripted FX anthology, but will center on infamous true crimes. Take a wild guess at the first season’s subject. Yup, it’s O.J. Simpson. The first installment will be directed by Murphy from a script by Scott Alexander and Larry Karaszewski, who have some courtroom drama experience as the writers of “The People vs. Larry Flynt.” [Deadline]

In other television news, cult hit “The Increasingly Poor Decisions of Todd Margaret,” created by and starring David Cross, will be resurrected on IFC in 2015, three years after the first two six-episode seasons officially wrapped. Cast member Sharon Horgan is confirmed for the cast, but no word yet whether Will Arnett, Spike Jonze, or Blake Harrison will return. Cross’ character, London-based American sales exec Todd Margaret, was last seen in the act of exploding nuclear bombs, and the new season apparently picks up where the last left off. [Splitsider]

Also, “The Walking Dead,” the number one zombie apocalypse horror drama (and television show in general) for viewers 18-49 for the past two years, has been renewed for a sixth season, which should surprise absolutely no one. The comic-book based AMC series has continued to pull in record numbers, with its Season 4 premiere boasting the most viewers ever for a cable show, 16.1 million. AMC recently announced a companion series is in development: this show will be set in the same zombie-riddled universe, so the network obviously has a lot of confidence in the brand. Season 5 of “The Walking Dead” premieres this Sunday. [Deadline]

Lastly, the John Candy comedy classic “Uncle Buck” is now being developed as a comedy at ABC. The project won’t veer too wildly from the original premise, following a man-child who is tasked with taking care of his brother’s kids and eventually becomes a responsible adult in the process. And this isn’t the first time an Uncle Buck show has been attempted. Back in 1990, CBS had their own version that ran for one season with Kevin Meaney in the title role. And as you can see from the opening credits below, the bar is set pretty low for this latest attempt. [Deadline] — additional reporting by Kevin Jagernauth